Almost every American takes a drug every day; many take three or more. Where have those breakthrough medicines come from and how do they contribute to longevity and quality of life? How does the Federal Food and Drug Administration protect consumers from ineffective and unsafe medicine? How can you participate in randomized clinical trials of new drugs..or should you? How can you protect yourself against getting the wrong medicines or the wrong doses? How do we measure the value of drug therapies to patients and society?

In this UCSF Osher Mini Medical School series, experts from the UCSF School of Pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry explore the answers to these questions.